A WORLD Bank report stated that 13% of students in Malaysia at late primary age are not proficient in reading. It is expected that due to COVID-19, 10% more students will fall into learning poverty. Learning poverty is defined as being unable to read and understand a simple text by age 10.
To bridge the educational barrier, Taylor’s University School of Education officially launched Projek BacaBaca, a community-based initiative designed to address the inequity among students affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The launching event was conducted on June 18 at the institution.
Projek BacaBaca, in its first phase, was a six-month programme in which volunteers and reading coaches from varied backgrounds conduct inclusive one-on-one reading sessions in English and Bahasa Melayu with primary school students over the phone, thereby enhancing their reading and learning skills.
The initiative is meant to assist parents and communities in supporting the literacy development of their children by using an evidence-based strategy to improve learning outcomes.
